On January 13, I had the pleasure of attending a royal banquet and madrigal performance at the Jacksonville Community Center. The king, queen, and princess hosted these revels. The queen’s ladies in waiting, aka the valley ladies, sang beautifully and provided an elegant presence. In addition to the royal and noble personages in attendance, the guest list included a saint (George to be specific), a cranky dragon, a witch, and a pushy damsel, all of whom bore a remarkable resemblance to the members of the Twin Valley High School drama club. There was also the royal jester named Ben who provided magic (literally) to the evening.

The entertainment provided, as to be expected from a royal court, was of the highest standard. The singers, known in some circles as the Twin Valley High School madrigal singers were superb. Madrigal singing requires excellent musicianship by the individual performers, concentration in maintaining your own part, and the ability to blend individual voices in a complete ensemble presentation. The singers from Twin Valley High School exhibited all these abilities in an excellent performance of a wide range of madrigals. There were also excellent performances from pages and demoiselles of the middle school.

I look forward to attending other performances by the talented young actors, vocalists, and musicians of Twin Valley High School and the middle school and hope that others in the valley will take any opportunity that presents itself to support these talented young people.